


Familial Bonds

by Shade_Penn1



Series: Croft and Son [2]
Category: Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Mother-Son Relationship, One Night Stands, nothing graphic though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:31:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shade_Penn1/pseuds/Shade_Penn1
Summary: Nero asks about his father.





	Familial Bonds

"Mom, who's my father?"

Lara almost choked. Her twisted her lips to keep her drink from spitting out, or something equally undignified. She swallowed, and glanced at the clock over the counter. It was almost four in the afternoon, and still too early for _that_ question. She'd gone nine years without Nero ever asking, or showing any interest. She set her cup down and looked at her son. "Why do you ask?"

Nero sat at the table, not looking at her or anything in particular. His gaze seemed to flicker around every few seconds. "It's just my teacher assigned us to do a project about our family tree, and then I heard everyone talking about theirs and..." he trailed off, his shoulders slumping.

Lara's expression softened as she took the seat next to him. It did seem like something weighed on his mind when he came home from school, but she didn't realize the magnitude of it. "Are you upset that you don't have a father?"

Her son looked at her, eyes widening. "What? No, no I'm not upset - I just - " he stopped, mouth turning into a pout, and Lara resisted pinching his cheek. "I have you, and Sam, and all the stories you told me about your parents that I'm just," he paused, before finally waving his hands as if unsure of what to say, "curious."

Lara scrutinized him for a long moment. She'd just gotten back from a site, and her bones ached more from the flight than the trouble she ran into. It was jarring to switch from high adrenaline to something which required tact. "I could hire someone to find him, and you could know all you wanted too about him."

Okay, maybe she needed to refine her definition of 'tact'. She'd have done it before now, but never felt inclined to do so. Lara found the best she was going to get from the man was sitting right beside her, staring at her with wide blue eyes.

"What?" Nero gaped, before his mouth shut with a 'click' of his jaw. "You'd do that for me?" he whispered.

Lara's gut twisted. Had she ever given him reason to doubt her? She tried not to answer that. Her gaze hardened, mouth firm. "I'd do anything for you." It didn't scare her, the words nor the intensity with which she said them. She'd be more than willing to back it up.

Nero smiled at her, and something felt right in the world again. "I don't need to meet him, I don't care if I ever do, but...can you tell me why you picked him?"

Well, that was certainly one way to look at it. Even more, how was she to condense something so loaded as a one-night-stand into an appropriate format so he didn't ask questions? Lara glanced at her drink on the counter, but remained seated.

' _He just asked why, not what happened.'_ she reminded herself. A big difference that was. And honestly, what happened was something much too complicated to discuss with her _son_ of all people. Sam might have gotten a good laugh out of the corny pick-up lines, the cringy attempts to flirt, all sounding like it came from a robot who was learning what human interaction was.

But no, it was too personal even to tell her best friend. Behind the abyssmal dialogue, there had a been a keen glint in the man's eyes, one which never changed throughout. He'd wanted information about the cult she'd been investigating, seemed to think she had it, and that attempting to seduce her was the way to get it.

As it so happened, Lara thought he had information too. It was perhaps the most passionless exchange she'd ever had, and left the next morning before he'd even woken up. She didn't even catch his name, but then again, she hadn't given hers.

"It was a business trip in Fortuna. He was handsome." Lara said at last. "And he had nice eyes." That much was true at least.

Nero sat up straighter. "Your eyes are prettier." he blurted, and ducked his head.

Lara chuckled softly, and reached over to ruffle his hair. "Did it get longer, or did you get Sam to take you somewhere other than to get your hair-cut?"

Her son shrugged, but his lips quirked into a small smile, a dimple forming in the corner. "We stopped for ice cream first, and missed our appointment."

Lara narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is that so? I'd better set another one then."

Nero couldn't seem to stifle the scowl which replaced the smile. "Sam already did it. We're going next week."

Stifling her chuckles, Lara rose from her seat. "With regards to your assignment, do you want to know more, or are you alright with what I told you?"

She caught Nero shifting in his seat from the corner of her eye, before he said, "I'm fine. I should have enough. I'll ask you before you have to leave if I have more questions."

Lara nodded. And during her time home, Nero had a lot to ask about his grandparents, about herself, their family's history. He never asked about his father again though, but just in case, Lara made sure to have someone on call if he ever decided to change his mind.

She meant what she said - anything for her son.


End file.
